The global conversation about the environment, at all levels, has sky rocketed. 2020 was, broadly speaking, an unhappy stew of events. The ongoing swirl of the climate crisis mixed with persistent societal inequality and a dollop of pandemic thrown in for good measure, has caused more of us than ever to sit up and engage with the world we live in.

As of January 2021, vaccines are being deployed across the world. Soon the lockdowns will end but can we expect to go back to the business world we knew before the pandemic?

Four years ago, while searching for a theme to headline the prime minister’s ‘Lancaster House’ speech on Brexit, I coined the phrase ‘Global Britain’ to capture the government’s vision for the role a post-Brexit UK would play in the world.

Last year, the US experienced one of the most tumultuous years in our history – and certainly in my lifetime. Globally, the Trump era saw America loosen bonds with our allies and contend inconsistently with our rivals and adversaries.

While many commentators claim we have entered a new era of geopolitics and left an old era of globalized commerce, it is wrong to oppose these two scenarios. Globalization and geopolitics are not antithetical forces, as if rivalry reverses interdependence. Without the imperial ambitions of the Romans, Mongols, Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, British, and Americans, we would have no globalization.

During the recent conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, drone technology appears to have proved decisive in defeating conventional armoured forces – tanks, to you and me. This suggests that we are entering one of those periods when the equilibrium between offensive and defensive technologies on the battlefield becomes mismatched; the latest chapter in the old story of longbow versus knight, machine gun against mass infantry attack, carrier-borne aircraft and battleship.

Post-Brexit and post-Trump, where does the media go next? In 2016, the EU referendum and presidential elections took place in quick succession, suggesting that on both sides of the Atlantic we were more polarised than ever before.

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European CEOs and board members need to prepare for three new drivers of change that will determine their agenda in the 2020s: geopolitical and geoeconomic risk; the drive for sustainable business models according to environmental, social and governance criteria; and the ongoing technological revolution. In short: get ready for the GET world.

In light of the viral Handforth Parish Council video, Audley’s Imogen Beecroft reflects on communications in the virtual world

Audley’s Imogen Beecroft writes about the phenomenon that is Nigella’s pre-Christmas cookery series.

In episode three, Audley's Lucy Thompson is in conversation with New America strategist and author Peter Singer. They discuss the power of his concept of Useful Fiction and its application in a corporate setting.

Lucy Thompson reflects on the outcomes of the Atlantic Future Forum 2020 and the future of the global order

Chris Wilkins reflects on his experience of the Trump presidency from the inside and the threat he presents to the Democrats

Fiona Johnston argues that we need business leaders who aren’t afraid to show their own vulnerabilities.

Managing Partner, Imogen Beecroft writes about her experience of jury service and what it taught her about communications.

In this episode, Audley's Fiona Johnston speaks to CEO at Pearl & Dean, Kathryn Jacob OBE and Sunday Times journalist, Mark Edwards, two of the authors of Belonging…

In March, Boris Johnson’s cabinet announced the biggest government bailout scheme the UK has ever seen. The Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, declared that there would be no cap on what the government would spend to support UK businesses. A justifiable use of taxpayers’ money in order to save the UK’s economy but how will the favour be repaid? The Social Market Foundation’s James Kirkup explains the think-tank’s new proposal to create a fresh social contract for UK businesses.

Schools have always had to navigate new technological advancements, adjusting and adapting to keep themselves relevant and of worth. However, the rapid developments in artificial intelligence topped off with a global pandemic enforcing school closures all over the world have been a rather unexpected set of circumstances.

The impact of COVID-19 has been unlike anything any of us have experienced before, but the secondary impacts and the lockdowns in place to contain it are equally catastrophic and, in some cases, deadly. In April, the Wellcome Trust launched their plan for an exit strategy – COVID-Zero – alongside a fund that will invest in treatments, vaccines, and testing for coronavirus.